Theresa May squirmed on live TV today as she again refused to apologise for the “hostile environment” which fuelled the Windrush scandal .

The Prime Minister was branded "disgusting" as she said sorry for victims' heartache - but would not take responsibility for the policy blamed for triggering the misery.

She told the BBC: “The point of the policy was to ensure that those people who were in the United Kingdom illegally were identified and appropriate action was taken.

"What went wrong was that people from the Windrush generation who were here legally – had every right to be here, who had helped to build our great national institutions – found themselves unable to show that documentation and got caught up in that.”

Cringing Mrs May's conference cough, which scuppered her speech in incredible scenes last year, returned briefly today during a round of morning TV interviews.

On the Andrew Marr Show she was forced to watch footage of a woman who lost her job and was unable to work because she could not prove she was British.

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But Mrs May today said the scandal covered successive governments, not just the Tories.

Instead of apologising personally for the policy she said: "The policy... the purpose of the policy... it was to ensure, and we maintain a compliant environment policy... the purpose of the policy is to ensure those people who are here illegally are identified and appropriate action is taken.

"I apologise for the fact that some people who should not have been caught up in that were caught up in that. With, in some cases, tragic results."

Who are the Windrush generation, and why are they under threat?

The 'Windrush generation' are British residents who arrived from Commonwealth countries before New Year's Day 1973.

They are named after the Empire Windrush, the ship which brought some of the first Caribbean migrants to Britain in 1948.

Anyone who arrived in the UK from a Commonwealth country before 1973 has a legal right to stay, unless they left the UK for more than two years.

But they faced being threatened with deportation under new immigration rules despite living and working here for decades.

People were ordered to prove they have the right to be in the UK to rent property, work or access services and benefits.

The government failed to keep detailed records of Windrush arrivals, and landing cards were destroyed in 2010.

The Home Office set up a task force with the aim of sorting out cases within two weeks.

Windrush immigrants are also being granted fee-free citizenship and a compensation scheme, the rules of which have not been set yet.

Read more if you're affected here or call a government hotline on 0300 123 2241 (option 1).

As the interview ended Mrs May sat in silence, exchanging not one word of small talk with Mr Marr while the credits rolled.